The trip to Cape Coast was amazing.It's nice to get out of the city.On Saturday we went to the rain forest.We walked on a canopy walk through the trees.Kind of scary. Then we went to beach where we had a bonfire and the next visited Cape Coast castle, which is where all the slaves were sent from.Obama made a speech here when he visited Ghana last year. There are posters of him and Ghanaian President Atta Mills all around the city.They love him over here.

This week I'll be visiting different hospitals and health projects. Yesterday and today I worked at a maternity and women's clinic which receives a lot of malaria, anaemia and HIV cases.They also try to push family planning, which Ghanaians are often very suspicious of.They believe it will harm them.Yet having 34 or more children often means that not all of them will receive education or they won't get enough food.

It's a small rural clinic yet they are very good at what they do and they have very straightforward views on what is good for the local community and for families.HIV tests can be done on the ground and HIV pre- and post- counseling is available as well.HIV-positive patients are then referred to bigger hospitals in Accra where they can get proper treatment.The midwives here try to encourage women to take the HIV test to make sure the child is going to be healthy.The head nurse also tries to go around the community to tell them about HIV risks as well as the need for family planning.She really tries her best because she knows the consequences.

As I already told you last week, working in hospitals is one of the best and saddest way to experience the poverty here in Ghana.yesterday I young pregnant women was rushed to the hospital with anaemia.She needs blood in order for her and the baby to be healthy yet she can't afford to buy blood.Maternal deaths can be frequent here so I hope someone will find a solution.
The clinic also often experiences power cuts.When this happens at night, they have to work by candlelight or car is driven is front of the window so the headlights can be used.It sounds pretty crazy but it's all they have right now.Everybody here tells me that poverty is getting worse.Doctors experience it every day as patience cannot pay for treatment.What also sometimes happens is that pregnant women cannot afford transport to the clinic.However, the community here has organized a taxi system that brings pregnant women to the hospitals.